SMPA Angels'blog

You Can’t Buy Love

Social Media marketing has become a hot topic for businesses and entrepreneurs who are constantly trying to figure out how to increase their social media impact and optimise engagement. Getting social media strategies right can be a great way for a business to engage with its target market, but bad social media efforts can drive potential customers away just as easily.

One of the most dangerous errors you can make is being overly promotional. Social media marketing allows you to engage and converse with your customers in a meaningful way. It is not just another way to sell your products or promote your brand. Sure, subtle brand building is implied in the very essence of marketing and your social media presence will undoubtedly enhance the perception and value of your brand if it is conducted skilfully.

Another crucial lesson is that just as you can’t buy love, you can’t buy true and loyal fans and followers. Yes, of course, there are myriads of websites where for a small fee, you can ‘purchase’ Twitter followers and Facebook ‘likes’, but what does it all mean for your business success if none of them are people who are truly interested in your brand and willing to spread the word about it?

Social media is a fickle beast. Even high profile companies with millions in sales can’t control their message once it’s released on social media.

While social media is a boon for companies looking for kudos, relying on your own employees is bound to backfire. Just ask Honda. The company released pictures of the new Accord that were largely reported by auto enthusiasts as being unattractive and poorly designed. When Eddie Okubo commented with a positive and gushing review of the car, fans of Honda could simply have read the comment and moved on. Instead, they discovered that Eddie wasn’t just some diehard Honda lover. He was also the manager of product planning. The backlash was swift. The result… Let the kudos come from your real fans!

Leave social media to the pros. Only those with a good understanding and uniqueness of the different platforms and the proper online etiquette for each should be trusted with your brand, and… don’t even bother setting up a social media account if you can’t allocate sufficient time or resources on a regular basis to service it. You may be doing more damage than good.